Substance. That’s what I was missing. A ‘good girl’ who got lost and didn’t know what to do with her life. Living really, day-to-day for my own enjoyment. But I did.not.know. When we don’t know, we don’t know.

My saving grace, in retrospect, was relocating to Nashville, TN. Nashville is where I found myself, who I could be. Finding a good group of like-minded friends and a great church changed my life. Gradually and with fervent prayer, I became someone I liked. Dare I say, really liked?

But let me tell you, it was a journey. Nashville is chock full of churches. The first one I walked into – well – it was less than stellar. That’s for another time. Otter Creek Church of Christ and Bobby Harrington, the minister, made the difference. Listening to every.single.word. So very grateful for that time of learning and pruning. Yes, not everyone who attends church can be kind, but so many are kind and loving, and more than make-up for those who are not.

Bobby and Cindy Harrington

One of the best books I ever invested in, “The Complete Book of Christian Prayer” along with anything from Oswald Chambers are great devotionals. On November 25, 1996 (yes, I’m that old!) the series Purity of Heart is when my transformation began.

Prayer #575 from “The Complete Book of Christian Prayer”

Almighty God, in whom we live and move and have our being, thou hast made us for thyself, so that our hearts are restless until they find rest in thee; grant us purity of heart and strength of purpose, that no selfish passion may hinder us from knowing thy will, no weakness from doing it; but in thy light may we see light, and in thy service find perfect freedom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

from St. Augustine, 354-430

My parents always told me I was the most beautiful, most talented with the ability to do anything. I believed them. This confidence made me brave enough to try anything, Seeing God in their eyes, their behavior made all the difference for me. Not only did I have their ‘net’ I had God’s.

Love my good memories, and as we think about these memories it’s easy to see the small conversations/personal memories make the MOST difference. My relationships are and have always been paramount.

A Peek Into My HeartFelt Memories.

GRATUITIES

My Father tipped EVERYONE. EVERYONE. It embarrassed us. If someone he was with did not leave a fair tip he would always make it up to the server. We were taught if we could not leave the proper tip, we should not eat out. Gratuities were part of the cost.

NOW, I understand.

It made him Happy to Give. Now, when giving, I know how he felt. He was so very generous with everyone he met, yet he never took anything away from his family. I love this memory.

Louis Vuitton and Dollar Tree

We were a middle-class family. Don’t know that we really KNEW it, but we were. My parents were Ying and Yang. My Father came from money, my Mother did not. They were married 43 years when he died. Throughout our lives, both my parents loved to shop. My Father insisted on always buying GOOD shoes. He was a very dapper ‘dresser’ – So, my Mother usually made all our clothes.And let me tell you, she rocked it. Especially with me. Even today, wish I had a dressmaker. Far prefer well-made clothes to purchased clothing. Have kept one particular suit she made, I felt glorious every.single.time.I stepped out in that RED suit.

They taught me to love quality and enjoy the quest for a great sale. We were a family of shoppers, and if we didn’t find something for ourselves, we could always find something for someone else. An early blog post tells of my love for bargains and Louis Vuitton. This is my Ying and Yang! and it SO makes me smile~

Facing feelings make us vulnerable to our truth. Why do we tend to romanticize the past?

Personally, I’m thankful that all the good memories remain.

Good friends, solid friends remain. They do not blow away with the wind. In my case, because I can be loyal to a fault, sometimes God had to pull me away from ‘friends’ kicking and screaming. He prunes us when we need it most.

There are times we must ignore the MESSENGER delivering the message. God gives us guidelines from many different sources. It’s up to us to be open in our minds enough to HEAR what we are to hear and learn.

It took me forever to be ‘settled’ in Conway. Today, I still miss my Nashville, Tn. Friends, work partners, and social life, – always the most fun. Was it tied to my work? You bet. Nothing is funnier than being behind the scenes for any event or show and talking about it later with those who present. Yes, it can be stressful, trying to honor one’s client and the show’s criteria but it’s the best stories behind the scenes.

Long before INTO THE WILD with Jack Hanna, my PR agency assisted him, his team in bringing all kinds of animals to television. Ostriches come to mind, yet my favorites are still the snow leopards and the Eagles. In fact, we asked Ricky Skaggs to help release an Eagle in one adventure. Behind the scenes, I was busy locating a cherry-picking machine in Pigeon Forge, TN. to help with the release. Was it a piece of cake? Not so much — but it was my responsibility. Everything needed to LOOK easy, even if it was not! Of course, we found the cherry-picker.

When Good Morning America wanted the Gaither Vocal Band to perform, initially Bill said no. I was gobsmacked, his reason?They were busy with rehearsals on a boat, on the lake more than an hour away from Nashville. Well, I was not about to let them miss the opportunity.Thankfully, we had a WONDERFULLY KIND producer, ABC’s Tom Guisto. Tom agreed and off we went.

What made the difference for me? Don’t like to ‘lose’ any opportunity any time, anywhere. Even now, if you ask for a story about one of my artists, I’ll always ask for the cover.

Covers obtained were deserving and perfect for the publication. It helped/helps to LOVE artists we represent. Rarely did we take a client not loved by the entire team. If they are the best, we want the world to know.

Because I loved my experiences so much, sometimes all spoken by me was about the past. Very consciously about two years ago, I made a focused effort to STOP. Just Stop. I did slip a couple of times, okay maybe three or four, yet if I brought up old stories NO MATTER how fun and funny, I tried to STOP. And I did. Do they still go off in my head? You bet.

Avoiding the VERBAL retelling diminishes the quest to say more about the past. In my spot? Know the feeling?

Trust this: the more we are in the present, the happier we are.

Every morning I have a place to get-up-and-go-to, and it makes me happy. The blessing is not lost on me. Art on the Green deserves my best, and I can only give my best if I stay IN-THE-PRESENT.